Cup 2015

Virsliga 2015

About

Skonto Football Club, sometimes known as Skonto Riga, was first established in 1991, coinciding with the creation of the Virsliga. Based in the city of Riga, they are significantly younger than many of the other teams in Latvia's top flight, but quickly emerged as one of the major forces in the country and are now the most successful team in Latvia's history, in terms of total trophies won.

The club enjoyed instant success, winning the league title in their first ever season in 1991. That league win marked the beginning of a period of complete domination, with Skonto winning 14 league titles in a row. In the process, they set a new record, which stands to this day, for the most consecutive national titles won by a men's European football team.

After a period of several years without a league win, the team collected their 15th title in 2010. Further major success has come in the Latvian Football Cup, the country's main cup competition, which the team have won eight times. The first seven of those cup wins occurred during Skonto's period of league dominance, meaning the team have completed seven domestic league and cup doubles. Their eighth win came in 2012. The club's success at domestic level has seen them participate in the preliminary rounds of both the UEFA Europa League and Champions League.

Latvian international striker, Mihails Miholaps, is Skonto's record goalscorer, having scored more than 150 goals across two spells with the club. Other notable former players include the likes of David Chaladze, Aleksandrs Jeļisejevs, Māris Verpakovskis and Nathan Júnior.

The team's home games are played at Skonto Stadium, which opened in 2000. The venue is the largest stadium in the country and is also utilised by the Latvia national football team. It is currently able to hold up to 10,000 supporters.